Engineering the aveC gene to enhance the ratio of doramectin to its CHC-B2 analogue produced in Streptomyces avermitilis

Avermectin and its analogues are produced by the actinomycete Streptomyces avermitilis and are major commercial products for parasite control in the fields of animal health, agriculture, and human infections. Historically, the avermectin analogue doramectin (CHC-B1), which is sold commercially as Dectomax is co-produced during fermentation with the undesired analogue CHC-B2 at a CHC-B2:CHC-B1 ratio of 1.6:1. Although the identification of the avermectin gene cluster has allowed for characterization of most of the biosynthetic pathway, the mechanism for determining the avermectin B2:B1 ratio remains unclear. The aveC gene, which has an essential role in avermectin biosynthesis, was inactivated by insertional inactivation and mutated by site-specific mutagenesis and error-prone PCR. Several unrelated mutations were identified that resulted in improved ratios of the desirable avermectin analogue CHC-B1, produced relative to the undesired CHC-B2 fermentation component. High-throughput (HTP) screening of cultures grown on solid-phase fermentation plates and analysis using electrospray mass spectrometry was implemented to significantly increase screening capability. An aveC gene with mutations that result in a 4-fold improvement in the ratio of doramectin to CHC-B2 was identified. Subsequent integration of the enhanced aveC gene into the chromosome of the S. avermitilis production strain demonstrates the successful engineering of a specific biosynthetic pathway gene to significantly improve fermentation productivity of a commercially important product.     

多拉菌素产生菌aveD基因缺失突变株的构建

阿维链霉菌(Streptomyces avermitilis)bkd76-3在发酵过程中添加环己羧酸(CHC)可产生抗寄生虫药物多拉菌素(doramectin,阿维菌素衍生物CHC-B1),但同时还产生其它三种无效组分CHC-B2、CHC-A1、CHC-A2。利用基因缺失载体pXJ04(pKC1139∷△aveD1+△aveD2)对该菌株的aveD基因进行缺失,获得的aveD缺失突变株经摇瓶发酵和HPLC检测,发现只存在2种产物,经LC/MS分析验证,这两种产物分别为CHC-B1和CHC-B2,表明该突变株完全丧失了合成CHC-A1和CHC-A2的能力。缺失突变株的CHC-B1产量较出发菌株提高了78.19%,CHC-B2的产量提高了602.3%,发酵产物中有效组分多拉菌素的比例增加了93.16%。该缺失突变是在染色体上通过同源双交换完成的,不会发生进一步的重组,因此突变株具有良好的遗传稳定性,在工业生产上具有应用价值。     

Identification of a cyclohexylcarbonyl CoA biosynthetic gene cluster and application in the production of doramectin

The side chain of the antifungal antibiotic ansatrienin A from Streptomyces collinus contains a cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (CHC)-derived moiety. This moiety is also observed in trace amounts of omega-cyclohexyl fatty acids (typically less than 1% of total fatty acids) produced by S. collinus. Coenzyme A-activated CHC (CHC-CoA) is derived from shikimic acid through a reductive pathway involving a minimum of nine catalytic steps. Five putative CHC-CoA biosynthetic genes in the ansatrienin biosynthetic gene cluster of S. collinus have been identified. Plasmid-based heterologous expression of these five genes in Streptomyces avermitilis or Streptomyces lividans allows for production of significant amounts of omega-cyclohexyl fatty acids (as high as 49% of total fatty acids). In the absence of the plasmid these organisms are dependent on exogenously supplied CHC for omega-cyclohexyl fatty acid production. Doramectin is a commercial antiparasitic avermectin analog produced by fermenting a bkd mutant of S. avermitilis in the presence of CHC. Introduction of the S. collinus CHC-CoA biosynthetic gene cassette into this organism resulted in an engineered strain able to produce doramectin without CHC supplementation. The CHC-CoA biosynthetic gene cluster represents an important genetic tool for precursor-directed biosynthesis of doramectin and has potential for directed biosynthesis in other important polyketide-producing organisms.     

阿维菌素衍生物CHC-B1的突变生物合成

利用成功构建的基因缺失载体pLJ04(pKC1139∷△bkdF +△bkdH)对阿维菌素(avermectin)高产菌阿维链霉菌(Streptomyces avermitilis)76-02-e的bkdFGH基因进行缺失,获得的bkdFGH缺失突变株经过摇瓶发酵和HPLC检测,发现该突变株完全丧失了产生阿维菌素的能力。2-甲基丁酸及异丁酸的前体添加试验表明,当有外源前体存在时,突变株又能恢复阿维菌素合成的能力。将该bkdFGH基因缺失突变株命名为S.avermitilis bkd76-3。环己羧酸(CHC)前体添加试验及HPLC检测发现存在4种产物,经LC/MS分析验证,其中两种产物分别为CHC-B1和CHC-A2。     

Overexpression of the ABC transporter AvtAB increases avermectin production in Streptomyces avermitilis

Avermectins are 16-membered macrocyclic polyketides with potent antiparasitic activities, produced by Streptomyces avermitilis. Upstream of the avermectin biosynthetic gene cluster, there is the avtAB operon encoding the ABC transporter AvtAB, which is highly homologous to the mammalian multidrug efflux pump P-glycoprotein (Pgp). Inactivation of avtAB had no effect, but increasing the concentration of avtAB mRNA 30-500-fold, using a multi-copy plasmid in S. avermitilis, enhanced avermectin production about two-fold both in the wild-type and in a high-yield producer strain on agar plates. In liquid industrial fermentation medium, the overall productivity of avermectin B1a in the engineered high-yield producer was improved for about 50%, from 3.3 to 4.8?g/l. In liquid YMG medium, moreover, the ratio of intracellular to extracellular accumulation of avermectin B1a was dropped from 6:1 to 4.5:1 in response to multiple copies of avtAB. Additionally, the overexpression of avtAB did not cause any increased expression of the avermectin biosynthetic genes through RT-PCR analysis. We propose that the AvtAB transporter exports avermectin, and thus reduces the feedback inhibition on avermectin production inside the cell. This strategy may be useful for enhancing the production of other antibiotics.     

阿维链霉菌bkdAB的基因中断对阿维菌素合成的影响

以阿维菌B组分菌株StreptomycesavermitilisBjbm0 0 0 6为出发菌株 ,用PCR的方法构建bkdAB基因簇(Branched_chainα_ketoaciddehydrogenasegeneAB)的基因置换质粒pHJ582 1(pHZ13 58∷bkdAB&erm) ,并对其进行基因中断 ,得到重组菌株Bjbm582 1。Bjbm582 1的发酵产物经HPLC检测发现 ,除了产生B1a和B2a外 ,还产生一种原菌株没有的新组分 ,3个组分的总含量只有出发菌株Bjbm0 0 0 6的 2 5%。结果表明bkdAB的中断不仅部分阻断了阿维菌素的合成 ,还阻断了阿维菌素b组分的合成 ,可以推测bkdAB的产物在阿维菌素合成途径中主要承担了α酮基异戊酸脱氢酶 (α_ketoisovalericaciddehydrogenase)角色     

Cloning and analysis of a DNA fragment stimulating avermectin production in various Streptomyces avermitilis strains

To isolate a gene for stimulating avermectin production, a genomic library of Streptomyces avermitilis ATCC 31267 was constructed in Streptomyces lividans TK21 as the host strain. An 8.0-kb DNA fragment that significantly stimulated actinorhodin and undecylprodigiosin production was isolated. When wild-type S. avermitilis was transformed with the cloned fragment, avermectin production increased approximately 3.5-fold. The introduction of this fragment into high-producer (ATCC 31780) and semi-industrial (L-9) strains also resulted in an increase of avermectin production by more than 2.0- and 1.4-fold, respectively. Subclones were studied to locate the minimal region involved in stimulation of pigmented-antibiotic and avermectin production. An analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the entire DNA fragment identified eight complete and one incomplete open reading frame. All but one of the deduced proteins exhibited strong homology (68 to 84% identity) to the hypothetical proteins of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). The orfX gene product showed no significant similarity to any other protein in the databases, and an analysis of its sequence suggested that it was a putative membrane protein. Although the nature of the stimulatory effect is still unclear, the disruption of orfX revealed that this gene was intrinsically involved in the stimulation of avermectin production in S. avermitilis.     

Deletion of ku homologs increases gene targeting frequency in Streptomyces avermitilis

Streptomyces avermitilis is an industrially important soil bacterium known for production of avermectins, which are antiparasitic agents useful in animal health care, agriculture, and treatment of human infections. ku genes play a key role in the non-homologous end-joining pathway for repair of DNA double strand breaks. We identified homologs of eukaryotic ku70 and ku80 genes, termed ku1 and ku2, in S. avermitilis. Mutants with deletion of ku1, ku2, and both genes were constructed and their phenotypic changes were characterized. Deletion of ku genes had no apparent adverse effects on growth, spore formation, or avermectin production. The ku mutants, in comparison to wild-type strain, were slightly more sensitive to the DNA-damaging agent ethyl methanesulfonate, but not to UV exposure or to bleomycin. Gene targeting frequencies by homologous recombination were higher in the ku mutants than in wild-type strain. We conclude that ku-deleted strains will be useful hosts for efficient gene targeting and will facilitate functional analysis of genes in S. avermitilis and other industrially important bacterial strains.     

除虫链霉菌10个聚酮类抗生素生物合成基因簇的敲除对阿维菌素产量的影响

【目的】考察除虫链霉菌基因组中其它聚酮合成酶类(Polyketide synthase,PKS)抗生素生物合成基因簇的敲除突变对于阿维菌素产量的影响。【方法】构建了11个PKS基因簇的打靶Cosmid和质粒载体,导入除虫链霉菌中筛选突变株。【结果】在工业菌株MMR630中成功敲除了10个PKS基因簇。发酵结果显示7个PKS基因簇敲除突变株中阿维菌素的产量均有不同程度的提高,而2个突变株不能产生阿维菌素。然而,在3个连续敲除2个PKS基因簇的突变株中阿维菌素产量没有能够超过单个PKS敲除突变株的提升幅度。【结论】除虫链霉菌基因组的一些PKS基因簇的敲除可以提高阿维菌素的产量,同时暗示同一类次生代谢产物的代谢流之间存在复杂的相互作用关系。     

Two threonine residues required for role of AfsKav in controlling morphogenesis and avermectin production in Streptomyces avermitilis

AfsKav is a eukaryotic-type serine/threonine protein kinase, required for sporulation and avermectin production in Streptomyces avermitilis. In terms of their ability to complement SJW4001 (DeltaafsK-av), afsK-av mutants T165A and T168A were not functional, whereas mutants T165D and T168D retained their ability, indicating that Thr-165 and Thr-168 are the phosphorylation sites required for the role of AfsKav. Expression of the S-adenosylmethione synthetase gene promoted avermectin production in the wild-type S. avermitilis, yet not in the mutant harboring T168D or T165D, demonstrating that tandem phosphorylation on Thr-165 and Thr-168 in AfsKav is the mechanism modulating avermectin production in response to S-adenosylmethione accumulation in S. avermitilis.     

Studies on the biosynthesis of avermectins

To elucidate the pathway of avermectin biosynthesis, the biosynthetic relationships of avermectins A1a, A2a, B1a, B2a, and their respective monosaccharides and aglycones were studied. 14C-labeled avermectin compounds prepared from [1-14C]acetate were fed to Streptomyces avermitilis strain MA5502 and their metabolites were determined. Two furan ring-free aglycones, 6,8a-seco-6,8a-deoxy-5-keto avermectin B1a and B2a, have been isolated from the fermentation broth of a blocked mutant of S. avermitilis. Addition of the compounds and a semisynthetic compound, 5-keto avermectin B2a aglycone, to the fermentation medium of a second blocked mutant established that the two compounds are intermediates in the avermectin biosynthetic pathway immediately preceding avermectin aglycones.     

Modulation of serine/threonine protein kinase activity in chloramphenicol-resistant mutants of Streptomyces avermitilis

A mutation to chloramphenicol resistance (Cmlr) stimulates production of macrolide avermectin in Streptomyces avermitilis; production starts in early stationary growth. By labeling in vivo, the Cmlr mutation was shown to stimulate phosphorylation of Ser and Thr in several proteins in the same growth phase. Autophosphorylation of active protein kinases (PK) was analyzed in gel after one- or two-dimensional PAGE for the original S. avermitilis strain ATCC 31272, its Cmlr mutant, and a Cmls revertant. An increase in in vivo phosphorylation was associated with an increase in autophosphorylation of Ser/Thr-PK 41K, 45K, 52K, 62K, and 85K and complete suppression of autophosphorylation of PK 66K. Comparison of the PK molecular weights and pI with the parameters deduced for putative PK encoded by S. avermitilis genes identified the 41K, 45K, 52K, 62K, and 85K PK as pkn 24, pkn 32, pkn 13, pkn 12, and pkn 5, respectively. Prenylamine lactate, a modulator of calmodulin-dependent processes, substantially reduced the avermectin production, impaired the Cml resistance, and selectively inhibited Ca2+-dependent PK 85K in the Cmlr mutant. It was assumed that PK 85K is involved in regulating the avermectin production.     

Dependence of the composition of the avermectin complex of Streptomyces avermitilis on glucose content of the growth medium

The effects of glucose concentration in the medium and O-methyl-L-threonine resistance on the ratio of components of the avermectin complex produced by Streptomyces avermitilis have been studied. Glucose deficiency increases the ratio of components A and a, while decreasing that of components 1 in the complex. A mutation that renders the microorganisms resistant to O-methyl-L-threonine (an analog of isoleucine) increases the ratio of components a, while decreasing that of components 1 in the complex. The distribution of a and b in fractions 1 and 2 remains constant: the values of the ratio a/b in the fractions amount, respectively, to 1:1 and 2:1. The relation of the variations in the composition of the avermectin complex to changes in the carbohydrate metabolism of the producer stain, underlain by availability of the source of carbon, is discussed.     

阿维菌素生产菌的常压室温等离子体诱变育种及培养基优化

【目的】通过诱变筛选技术选育阿维菌素高产突变株,对其发酵培养基进行响应面优化,提高阿维菌素产量。【方法】采用常压室温等离子体(ARTP)诱变技术,结合链霉抗性和卡那霉素抗性筛选法及96深孔板高通量筛选法,筛选阿维菌素高产株。在单因素实验的基础上,应用响应面分析法对其发酵培养基进行优化,最后确定最佳培养基配方。【结果】获得一株遗传性状稳定的阿维菌素高产株K-1A6,其阿维菌素产量达到4.22 g/L,比出发菌株9-39提高了23.4%,在最佳培养基中阿维菌素产量达到5.36 g/L,较优化前提高了27.01%。【结论】通过对阿维链霉菌9-39菌株进行ARTP诱变筛选及发酵培养基优化研究能显著提高阿维菌素的产量。     

阿维菌素B1a组分高产菌株的定向选育

以阿维链霉菌(Streptomyces avermitilis)1-17为出发菌株,分别使用紫外线及亚硝基胍并结合L-异亮氨酸诱导手段进行诱变处理,得到AVMB1a组分摇瓶发酵水平较出发菌株提高12.86%的突变株3-6.传代实验表明该菌株的高产性能稳定.结果表明,采用UV、NTG诱变结合L-Ile诱导的手段可以获得B1a组分显著提高的菌株.     

Production of doramectin by rational engineering of the avermectin biosynthetic pathway

In an attempt to construct a strain that produces doramectin, the loading module of Ave polyketide synthase (PKS) from Streptomyces avermitilis M1 was replaced with a cyclohexanecarboxylic (CHC) unique loading module from phoslactomycin PKS. Additionally, the CHC-CoA biosynthetic gene cassette was introduced into the engineered strain, which provided the precursor for directed biosynthesis of doramectin. The doramectin production ability of the final mutant S. avermitilis TG2002 was increased about six times and the ratio of Dor to Ave was enhanced 300 times more than the original strain.     

Purification and identification of dTDP-oleandrose, the precursor of the oleandrose units of the avermectins

The nucleotide sugar precursor of the oleandrose units of the avermectins has been purified from a mutant of Streptomyces avermitilis, which does not synthesize any avermectins but which converts avermectin aglycones to their respective disaccharides. This precursor has been identified as dTDP-oleandrose. The purification was achieved by anion exchange and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. The purified nucleotide sugar had an absorption spectra characteristic of thymidine, released dTMP when treated with phosphodiesterase, and possessed an NMR spectrum in which three resonances characteristic of oleandrose were seen in addition to the thymidine signals. The enzyme, avermectin aglycone dTDP-oleandrose glycosyltransferase, which catalyzes the stepwise addition of oleandrose to the avermectin aglycones, has been demonstrated in cell-free extracts and (NH4)2SO4 fractions of cell-free extracts of S. avermitilis. The enzyme is specific for dTDP-oleandrose as the glycosyl donor but utilizes all avermectin aglycones as glycosyl acceptors. The stoichiometry between dTDP-oleandrose consumed in the reaction and oleandrose units transferred to the avermectin mono- and disaccharide was found to be 1:1.